When I was younger, I saw
My daddy cry and curse at the wind
He broke his own heart and I watched
As he tried to reassemble it
And my mama swore that she would
Never let herself forget
And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love if it does not exist
[Chorus]
But, darling, you are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
[Verse 2]
Maybe I know somewhere
Deep in my soul that love never lasts
And we've got to find other ways
To make it alone or keep a straight face
And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable distance
And up until now, I had sworn
To myself that I'm content with loneliness
Because none of it was ever worth the risk
Well, you are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
[Bridge]
I've got a tight grip on reality, but I can't
Let go of what's in front of me here
I know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream, oh
[Chorus]
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
[Outro]
And I'm on my way to believing
Oh, and I'm on my way to believing
About
“The Only Exception” the third single from Paramore’s brand new eyes was co-written between Hayley Williams and Josh Farro at a time when the band was a quintet, the song is a soft ballad, which provides musical diversity to the album. Hayley Williams explained to Kerrang! in 2009:
I’ve never written lyrics like this before. The first verse is about where I think the fear to be open or vulnerable started. Ever since the first story in Kerrang!, everyone has known about my family issues and domestic whatever, it’s something that’s kinda stayed with me and I’ve learned from. I played this song to my mom and there were tears. It was kind of embarrassing.
Hayley Williams told Alternative Press in 2010:
This is the first love song I’ve ever written. And even if I’ve tried in the past, this is the first one that I’m really proud of. I like that I was able to express the fact that I have always been really afraid of love – and I still am at times – but the excitement and the hope that it exists is still very evident in the lyrics. So it’s not like I’m a total cynic! Love is a good thing, kids.
In terms of its success as a single, it notably reached 24th on the US Billboard’s Top 100 and 31st on the UK’s Single Chart.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Before I get started on this one, let me just point out the fact that the acronym for this song is ‘TOE.’ All right. Josh and I wanted something short and sweet that would break up the record. He sent me some music and I was immediately inspired. After showing the guys, everyone loved it so much that they told us we had to finish it. So we did. This is the first love song I’ve ever written. And even if I’ve tried in the past, this is the first one that I’m really proud of. I like that I was able to express the fact that I have always been really afraid of love–and I still am at times–but the excitement and the hope that it exists is still very evident in the lyrics. So it’s not like I’m a total cynic! Love is a good thing, kids.”
-Hayley Williams on “The Only Exception” in a Track by Track description of ‘brand new eyes’ for Alternative Press.
The single’s artwork is explained in detail here.
- 1.Careful
- 2.Ignorance
- 3.Playing God
- 5.Turn It Off
- 6.The Only Exception
- 8.Looking Up
- 10.Misguided Ghosts
- 11.All I Wanted
